Help installing true type fonts in LM18 (SOLVED)

[magicchance]

I'm having difficulty installing custom .ttf fonts from the web into LM18. What am I missing with the LM18 please?

SOLVED: The answer is to use the 'font-manager' found in the Software Manager. 'Font viewer' does not work with LM18, and the auto-install feature from LM17 has not been incorporated into 18. Once the custom fonts have been recognized by the font-manager, they will be visible and accessible within Libre Office.

[Cosmo.]

The debian says ...

What is this?

[richyrich]

In Synaptic Package Manager, install ttf-mscorefonts-installer to get your Microsoft true type fonts.

PS: Just do a search for font in the above program.

[jimallyn]

Not sure where you got your fonts from. Was it a .deb file? Something you downloaded from the web? I don't have Mint 18 on this particular computer yet, but in the past TrueType fonts were always in /usr/share/fonts/truetype. If you're just wanting the standard Microsoft fonts, then install ttf-mscorefonts-installer as richyrich suggested. In the past, and on a different distribution (Xandros), I put a bunch of fonts on the computer by simply downloading them from the web, then opening a root file manager and copy/paste the fonts in to the usr/share/fonts/truetype folder. I don't know whether that is a valid method on Mint 18, but I would guess that it would still work.

[Moem]

I don't have Mint 18 yet, but when I want to install a font from the web, I download the .ttf file and open it in Font Viewer; I will then see a button marked Install. Not sure that still works, either, but maybe?

[Cosmo.]

No, it does not work in LM 18, because of a open bug. See here and here

[magicchance]

No, it does not work in LM 18, because of a open bug. See here and here

Any news on when this bug will be fixed? LM17 worked great with .ttf files.

[Cosmo.]

You get the quickest information with the update manager, as soon as an update is available. It helps, to take a look at the change-log.

[Flemur]

magicchance

Any news on when this bug will be fixed? LM17 worked great with .ttf files.

That's a strange error (picture) - are you opening the zip file with gdebi or dpkg-whatever?

It's real easy to install .ttf files: basically copy the files to /usr/share/fonts/truetype/optional-directory, then run fc-cache.

Code: Select all

cd /usr/share/fonts/truetype
sudo mkdir font-name 
sudo cp /path/to/files/*.ttf font-name/.
sudo fc-cache -fv

Or use your file browser as root (e.g. "gksudo nemo")
You don't really need to make a new directory, but it's cleaner.

[magicchance]

magicchance

Any news on when this bug will be fixed? LM17 worked great with .ttf files.

That's a strange error (picture) - are you opening the zip file with gdebi or dpkg-whatever?

It's real easy to install .ttf files: basically copy the files to /usr/share/fonts/truetype/optional-directory, then run fc-cache.

Code: Select all

cd /usr/share/fonts/truetype
sudo mkdir font-name 
sudo cp /path/to/files/*.ttf font-name/.
sudo fc-cache -fv

Or use your file browser as root (e.g. "gksudo nemo")
You don't really need to make a new directory, but it's cleaner.

Can you direct me to a step by step tutorial for what you're describing? I'm such a newbie, and I have no idea what you want me to do without more specific instructions.

[WharfRat]

magicchance,

You can create the folder ~/.fonts and move the .ttf files there. Then log off and back in again at which time they will be available.

[magicchance]

magicchance,

You can create the folder ~/.fonts and move the .ttf files there. Then log off and back in again at which time they will be available.

Thanks, but what exactly is this process? Right now all the files are still zipped up. Normally, with LM17, the unzipping step also sent the files to the correct master font folder. But now, with LM18, these same files can't be unzipped without the warning shown earlier. The process just stops dead at that point. So exactly how do I work with these zipped files?

[WharfRat]

What's the name of the file

[magicchance]

What's the name of the file

There are dozens of them. But the first one is this: 1873_winchester.zip

The pic shows the contents.

[WharfRat]

I don't use zip for archives, but I'm pretty sure you unpack it with

Code: Select all

unzip 1873_winchester.zip

Make sure you have the zip package installed

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test $(which zip) || sudo apt-get install zip

If the above line doesn't install anything - don't worry as it's already installed.

[magicchance]

I don't use zip for archives....

These are my results. Not looking good. Nothing installed, which means it should already be there, and yet it still doesn't find the zip file.

test $(which zip) || sudo apt-get install zip
XXXXX@pc1 ~ $ unzip 1873_winchester.zip
unzip: cannot find or open 1873_winchester.zip, 1873_winchester.zip.zip or 1873_winchester.zip.ZIP.

As to using zip files, it's just how the fonts come off the Web. Normally, with LM17, this wasn't an issue. Just right-clicking the file would have the debian take over and complete the process for you automatically. It was a really quick and simple process. Nothing like it is now. I sure hope the guys can fix this bug asap.

[WharfRat]

Are you in the correct folder when you attempt to unzip the file

[Flemur]

As to using zip files, it's just how the fonts come off the Web. Normally, with LM17, this wasn't an issue. Just right-clicking the file would have the debian take over and complete the process for you automatically.

"Just right-clicking" the zip file extracted the contents and installed the font?
I doubt that was the process for several reasons, one of which is: what is "the debian"?

Note that the zip file - at least the one I got from googling because you didn't supply a URL - has a stupid format, with another zip file, containing the font, inside the first one:

Code: Select all

$ unzip 1873_winchester.zip
Archive:  1873_winchester.zip
  inflating: Maxfonts_Instructions.txt  
  inflating: maxfonts_font_17266.zip  
$ unzip maxfonts_font_17266.zip  
Archive:  maxfonts_font_17266.zip
  inflating: 1873_Winchester.ttf     
  inflating: Gunsmith.png            
  inflating: License_Info.txt        
$ sudo cp 1873_Winchester.ttf /usr/share/fonts/true*/.
$ sudo fc-cache -fv
...buncha output...

Font "1873 Winchester" shows up in libreoffice and works.

Edit:

...
sudo fc-cache -fv ...
Can you direct me to a step by step tutorial for what you're describing?

That was a step by step tutorial.

[magicchance]

...."Just right-clicking" the zip file extracted the contents and installed the font? I doubt that was the process for several reasons, one of which is: what is "the debian"?....

Why do you doubt this statement? My first attached pic above shows exactly what I am referring to. I will re-attach it below. I am attempting the exact same process now with LM18, and it goes halfway, but then it stops and gives the warning. With LM17, the process would continue without the warning, and the font would be installed, and the next time I opened Libre Office Writer the new fonts would be ready to go. I'm doing nothing differnt. With LM17 I installed about 400 custom fonts without a hitch. I am simply trying to repeat the process with LM18. But so far, no luck.

The fonts come from http://www.1001fonts.com/ and http://www.dafont.com/

[WharfRat]

magicchance,

The reason you're getting that error is because the .zip file is being opened with the gui interface of the package manager. It's informing you that file is not a Debian package i.e., a .deb file.

You should have an application called engrampa which is an archive manager. The Mate desktop has it in the Accessories category of the menu called Archive Manger. Try launching it to open the .zip file.

I don't know what you're selecting in the files manager to have the file opened with the incorrect application, but that's what's happening.